It’s almost time for the 2026 NBA Draft.
This class of prospects has long been heralded as one of the best drafts in recent memory. Former college stars such as AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Darius Acuff will headline the class, but there’s plenty of depth through the entire lottery and into the early 20s.
2026 NBA mock draft
Without further ado, let’s predict all 30 first-round picks in Tuesday night’s draft:
1. Washington Wizards | AJ Dybantsa | BYU
This has become more contentious in recent days. AJ Dybantsa was long the favorite to go No. 1 overall, but there’s been more support for Darryn Peterson over the last 72 hours or so. I’ll stick with Dybantsa, though, as he’s the best wing in the draft and has clear All-Star upside with few existential questions that need to be answered.
Here are the latest No. 1 pick odds on Kalshi:
2. Utah Jazz | Darryn Peterson | Kansas
I’m not moved by Darryn Peterson’s apparent attempts to stay out of Utah. The Jazz need a blue-chip guard prospect to go with its loaded front court that features Jaren Jackson Jr., Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler. It was just last year that the Jazz took Ace Bailey in the top 10 despite his camp’s best efforts to steer him elsewhere. They’ve proven they are willing to take the best player on their board regardless of agency shenanigans.
3. Memphis Grizzlies | Cameron Boozer | Duke
This board fell perfectly for the Memphis Grizzlies, who may have been happy to take Cam Boozer at No. 1 overall if they had that pick. Once Ja Morant is traded, it will be a clean slate for a Grizzlies franchise that needs a reset. Boozer can be the leader of that project on and off the floor. Boozer’s shooting ability means he’s a good fit with Zach Edey in the front court.
4. Chicago Bulls | Caleb Wilson | North Carolina
Caleb Wilson to the Bulls is a virtual lock — assuming there’s not a draft-day shocker that sees him be taken earlier. He’s a high-impact wing who should be a great fit next to Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis. With a new front office in charge, there’s positive momentum in Chicago for the first time in many years.
5. Los Angeles Clippers | Keaton Wagler | Illinois
There are 3 primary names at play here: Mikel Brown Jr., Keaton Wagler and Darius Acuff. At the end of the day, this is a front office that recently traded for a small guard in Darius Garland — would they be interested in adding another small, offensively-minded guard to their core? Wagler is a much cleaner fit and may end up being the best player available on the board anyways.
6. Brooklyn Nets | Mikel Brown Jr. | Louisville
Brown’s stock has been rising in the weeks before the draft. He has as much star upside as any guard in this class save for perhaps Peterson. That’s good news for a Nets franchise that badly needs a star. They took 5 first-round picks last year and none seem to be on a high-level trajectory after their rookie years, putting a lot of pressure on this pick.
7. Sacramento Kings | Darius Acuff | Arkansas
Darius Acuff had an unbelievable freshman season at Arkansas and showed increased playmaking capabilities along with his high-level scoring. Acuff is a near-perfect choice for the Kings as they look to pivot out of the current mess they kind themselves in.
8. Atlanta Hawks | Morez Johnson | Michigan
This is another pivot point in the draft. Ultimately, I think this is the landing spot for Morez Johnson — whether it’s with Atlanta or another franchise. He’s been picking up steam in recent days as a potential trade-up target for teams later in the lottery. Golden State, Oklahoma City and Charlotte could all use a physical and switchable defender in their front court.
9. Dallas Mavericks | Brayden Burries | Arizona
Dallas hiring Michigan head coach Dustin May certainly puts Yaxel Lendeborg or Aday Mara in this mix for this pick, but I think they will go in a different direction. Burries is a much cleaner fit with the Mavs’ roster. He also has a connection to the Mavericks as new general manager Mike Schmitz is an Arizona alum.
10. Milwaukee Bucks | Kingston Flemings | Houston
A potential Giannis trade is hanging over this draft and the entire Bucks organization. Kingston Flemings is the best guard on the market and would immediately be Milwaukee’s top young player. He’s a bit undersized but he still has the upside to be a starting point guard in the NBA and would be a great building block for the Bucks.
Here’s an updated market on Kalshi regarding top-10 picks in the NBA Draft:
11. Golden State Warriors | Aday Mara | Michigan
Aday Mara has 2 superpowers — his size and his playmaking ability. Both would be welcomed in Golden State. The Warriors don’t really have an elite rim protector to play alongside Draymond Green in the frontcourt. Spacing could be a concern, but Steph Curry’s off-ball movement would be an excellent way to leverage Mara’s playmaking chops.
12. Oklahoma City Thunder | Yaxel Lendeborg | Michigan
In some ways, this would be a precedent-setting pick by the Thunder. Oklahoma City has never drafted a player as old as Yaxel Lendeborg, who will be 24 for his rookie season. But the basketball fit for Lendeborg in OKC is very clean — they could use a legitimate power forward who can dribble, pass, shoot and defend. It’s not hard to see him breaking into OKC’s playoff rotation as a rookie even if there’s not much star upside here due to his age.
13. Milwaukee Bucks (via the Miami Heat) | Nate Ament | Tennessee
The Nate Ament slide ends here. The Bucks are set to acquire this pick from the Miami Heat as a result of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. Ament will be a developmental project who could thrive in Milwaukee where he won’t face any pressure to produce immediate results. He’ll need to be a better shooter and rim finisher than he was with the Vols, but players at 6-foot-10 generally don’t move as well as Ament does.
14. Charlotte Hornets | Hannes Steinbach | Washington
The Hornets could use some front court help and Steinbach is the best option on the board. He’s an awesome rebounder and a solid rim protector — it’s not hard to see him fitting in with a Hornets core that includes perimeter players like LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel.
15. Chicago Bulls | Cameron Carr | Baylor
The Bulls, who took Caleb Wilson earlier in the draft, have another pick here at No. 15. I like Cameron Carr as a fit in Chicago alongside Wilson, Giddey and Buzelis. Carr is a pure play-finisher in the mold of someone like Trey Murphy (although he’s a good bit smaller than Murphy). I love the idea of Carr spacing the floor and running in transition for this Bulls team.
16. Memphis Grizzlies | Labaron Philon | Alabama
Memphis picked Cam Boozer earlier in the draft, shoring up a major frontcourt need. In this guard-heavy draft, Labaron Philon would be a great target for a Grizzlies team that will likely be moving on from Ja Morant this offseason. Philon has some questions to answer, but he’s a great shooter and was good on defense during his freshmen season at Alabama. His upside is high relative to the No. 16 overall pick.
17. Oklahoma City Thunder | Dailyn Swain | Texas
I have Oklahoma City selecting Yaxel Lendeborg earlier in this mock. Now I’ll go with Dailyn Swain — another wing who could contribute on both ends of the floor. Swain’s 3-point shot is not a finished product, but he’s someone who will pressure the rim on offense and has the athleticism to guard wings on the other end of the floor. A 6-foot-8 wing is an archetype the Thunder really don’t have on their roster and were missing in their Western Conference Finals loss to San Antonio.
18. Charlotte Hornets | Karim Lopez | New Zealand Breakers
I have the Hornets taking Hannes Steinbach earlier in the draft. I think they’ll go with another forward in this spot, although it wouldn’t shock me if they took a guard like Bennett Stirtz or Ebuka Okorie. Karim Lopez was very productive in the NBL this past season and looks like he has the potential to be an NBA starter at some point in the future.
19. Toronto Raptors | Ebuka Okorie | Stanford
Despite being a small guard, I think Ebuka Okorie goes earlier than expected on draft night. His ability to pressure the rim is undeniable and he measured in with a 6-foot-8 wingspan at the combine. Toronto needs a young guard it can build around moving forward and appears to be set in the front court with the likes of Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles still getting better.
20. San Antonio Spurs | Koa Peat | Arizona
The Spurs could use a big forward who can play alongside Victor Wembanyama in the frontcourt. Koa Peat is the best-available option — he’s tough, a great rebounder and will be competitive on defense. His 3-point shot appears to be broken, but the Spurs have enough outside shooting and rim pressure to still be effective with a player like Peat on the floor.
21. Detroit Pistons | Christian Anderson | Texas Tech
The Pistons need more 3-point shooting this offseason. Christian Anderson has a case as the best long-range shooter in this class and can operate Detroit’s offense while Cade Cunningham is on the bench. He’s a bit undersized, but he would still be an upgrade over what Detroit has been throwing out there in bench units.
22. Philadelphia 76ers | Jayden Quaintance | Kentucky
This is the pick the Sixers got from Oklahoma City in the Jared McCain deal. Although Daryl Morey is no longer in charge, I think it’s clear that Philly will be looking for off-ball players and size with this pick in the draft while they let Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe operate on the ball. Jayden Quaintance fits the bill. He’s an elite athlete with unbelievable defensive tools but an undefined offensive identity. I could see him playing next to Embiid or as Philly’s center when Embiid is off the floor.
23. Atlanta Hawks | Bennett Stirtz | Iowa
The Hawks could use another young guard to play alongside CJ McCollum and Dyson Daniels. Stirtz is an elite 3-point shooter and is a great decision-maker in the pick-and-roll. Stirtz will struggle on defense, but he’s a good fit next to a defensive-minded player like Daniels in the back court.
24. New York Knicks | Chris Cenac | Houston
The Knicks need frontcourt help even if they’re able to hang on to Mitchell Robinson this offseason, which is very much an open question. Cenac is a developmental big but would make a lot of sense in New York given his 7-foot-5 wingspan
25. Los Angeles Lakers | Isaiah Evans | Duke
The Lakers are likely to be focused on maximizing Luka Doncic with this pick — whether they keep it or not. If they do make a selection at No. 25, a wing like Isaiah Evans who can shoot the rock would be a wise choice.
26. Denver Nuggets | Allen Graves | Santa Clara
It’s possible Allen Graves will go much earlier than this — he’s an analytics darling who racked up almost 3 stocks per game while shooting 41% from 3-point range at Santa Clara as a freshman. However, I think his athleticism questions will have him land here with a Denver team that likes to play in the half court and could use another big wing in its rotation.
27. Boston Celtics | Sergio De Larrea | Valencia
Sergio De Larrea has emerged as the top international prospect in this draft. He’s a jumbo guard who can dribble, pass and shoot. There are concerns about his level of strength and physicality, but I think his skillset would be too attractive for Boston to pass up.
28. Brooklyn Nets (via the Minnesota Timberwolves) | Tarris Reed Jr. | UConn
Brooklyn reportedly acquired this pick in a head-scratching trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The trade won’t be official until the new league year starts, but it’s safe to say this pick will be made by Brooklyn’s front office — barring another trade, which is certainly possible. The Nets have very little young talent and could go in a number of different directions. I think Meleek Thomas is the best young prospect on the board, but the argument could be made that Brooklyn has too many developmental guards already. For that reason, I’ll go with a center — UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr.
29. Cleveland Cavaliers | Joshua Jefferson | Iowa State
Joshua Jefferson would give the Cavaliers a level of play-making and defensive toughness that it currently isn’t getting from its forward rotation. Jefferson is a high-level processor and a pretty good shooter relative to his size. I think he would fit in nicely as a win-now piece for the Cavaliers.
30. Dallas Mavericks | Henri Veesaar | North Carolina
There’s a decent chance this pick gets moved before Dallas steps up to the podium on draft night. Even if it doesn’t, Veesaar would be an interesting fit in Dallas. His shooting ability means he could play in lineups with Dereck Lively in the frontcourt. He would also give Dallas a path toward playing 5-out, which would maximize floor spacing for Cooper Flagg.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
